Chasing Roses
by Cloud Piece
Summary: Achievement Hunter. Ryan is an award winning actor and Ray is his new gardener, who just so happens to have a crush on him. Ray/Ryan. R&R Connection. AU.


**Title:** Chasing Roses

**Fandom: **Achievement Hunter

**Pairing: **R and R connection (aka Ryan/Ray)

**Warning: **Slash, OOCness, and fluff.

**A/N: **I needed more Achievement Hunter fanfiction. Have some of my ultimate OTP, aka that one ship that no one can actually guess I ship apart from like four people. So, have some R and R connection. There's a lack of Achievement Hunter anyway.

* * *

Sharp thorns pricked at his skin like knives. The thorns tore away at his tuxedo as he moved through the rose bush, ripping apart the delicate fabric. The gardener took no notice of the pain, his eyes fixed on the red rose in front of him. His mouth seemed to twitch upwards as he gazed upon the flower. He reached out with an empty hand and caressed it gently, whispering under his breath. He held up a pair of gardening scissors with his other hand, and snipped away the overgrown vines that covered the bush.

Each snip of the scissors was precise and quick, as if he was cutting off hair. He hummed softly as he worked. It wasn't any particular tune he sang, just something he could hum to the beat of.

He finished cleaning the rose bush in no time at all. Once he was done, he took a step back and admired his handiwork. He beamed up at the sight of cleaner, fresher garden. And in the middle of the rose bush sat the rose he had touched earlier. He reached forward and sniffed it, savouring the aroma of the flower.

"Nice job."

The gardener jolted, accidently dropping his glasses. He had not expected, or wanted, anyone to interrupt him while he was working. Picking up his glasses and rubbing the inside of them, he turned around, annoyed. "Don't interrupt me while I'm working," he said in an irritated manner, polishing his glasses. Everything was a blur to him. "Mr…?"

The man that interrupted him suddenly roared with laughter. The gardener's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. The man wiped away tears of laughter that were building up in his eyes.

"Haywood," the man answered as the gardener put his glasses back on. A small chuckle escaped Haywood's lips. "Ryan Haywood."

The gardener widened his eyes. "Mr Haywood!" he yelled in shock. The man he was working for, who owned the bush he was just mending to, who was paying him, who was a fucking movie star, was standing right in front of him. He bit on his lip to stop himself from swearing – if Haywood was anything like his previous boss, then, well… He didn't want to think of the consequences.

All words seemed to escape the gardener at that moment, and all he could do was stare at Ryan with his jaw hanging low. He never really got a good look at Ryan, as his glasses had fallen, but now he could see that it was defiantly the award-winning movie star Ryan Haywood. He was standing in front of royalty. The gardener could have fainted right then and there.

Ryan Haywood smirked, amusement dancing in his blue eyes. He stepped towards the gardener with an open hand. The gardener paused for a moment, staring at Ryan's hand with his mouth gaped open. He was sure that he looked almost like a fish, the way he was constantly opening and closing his mouth. Ryan laughed again and pulled away.

"So you're the Puerto-Rican everyone's been telling me about," he said, putting his hands in his pockets casually. "You don't look foreign."

The gardener stared at Ryan for what felt like forever. The man was well-built, and it looked like he wasn't afraid to show that off. He wore a dark blue shirt that looked like it was a size too small and tight jeans. His hands were large and strong. He had an unshaven chin and dark blond hair that was brushed back. It was the most casual the gardener had ever seen him in before, as he had only seen him on the movies and television.

The gardener opened and closed his mouth. He blinked a few times. "S-sorry?"

"Well, I say everyone's been talking about you," Ryan said, "when really I just mean myself. And I haven't _really _been talking about you. I've just met you. And I really didn't think too long about who my new gardener should be. I just did a lottery. You're the lucky winner. Hi."

"G-good afternoon, Mr Haywood."

"Just call me Ryan. And you are Ray, I presume."

"Good afternoon... Ryan. I'm Ray. Ray Narvaez jr," Ray answered. He suddenly felt very conscious about what he was saying. He could say something wrong then and there and then Ryan would think he was weird. Then, of course, he would get fired. Again.

Ryan chuckled again and gazed over to the rose bush. He whistled. The work Ray did on the bush was truly clean. "Nice work, Ray. You like roses?"

Ray nodded, staring at Ryan and swallowing nervously. The man was a celebrity, an actual famous person. He had won awards for his role as the Mad King in _Achievement Kings_, had gained millions of dollars and was probably too good to talk to Ray. Also, Ray noted, he had very nice arms. Extremely nice, in fact. A small blush rose to Ray's cheeks.

"Well Ray, I'm gonna go back inside. It's kinda hot out. If you want anything just call me. Drinks, food, first aid…" he gestured at Ray's torn tuxedo. Ray glanced at his arm; there were small cuts scattered all over it. He pulled the sleeves down so it covered the scratches, his cheeks turning bright red. "Anything at all."

And with that, Ryan jogged back to his house after waving goodbye. Ray stared at him as he ran, admiring the way Ryan's pants both fitted and complimented his rear. There was a sheen in his eyes that he reserved only for roses.

* * *

Ray felt ashamed of his apartment after spending the day working at a celebrity's mansion. He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of Coke, yawning. He sipped the drink and placed it back. The more he looked around, the more he found himself comparing his apartment to Ryan's garden. Of course, there was nothing in his own shit-hole that could compare to Ryan's majestic rose garden.

A small grin reached his lips as he thought about the roses. The man appeared although he had a fondness for roses, judging from the two dozen bushes in his garden. Some of the bushes had even been shaped like animals. Ray had almost cried with laughter when he first saw them. Shout out to _Achievement Kings_, he had thought at the time.

_Speaking of Achievement Kings…_

He ran onto his couch and reached for the remote. The disc was already in. Ray began to grin widely as he pressed play. The television turned on, and the words _Rooster Teeth Productions _flashed before him. There was a quick intro of the characters, and then the title _Achievement Kings_ appeared. Ray giggled in excitement as he pressed play. He adored the movie to bits. Everything about it was perfect, the actors, the script, the music, the action, and…

Ryan Haywood.

The man he was speaking to just a few hours earlier sneered at something behind the camera. One of his brows was raised up high, giving him a cocky appearance. Of course, he was a cocky, overconfident character. The perfect villain for the perfect movie.

_"The First King?" the Mad King drawled, pacing around a dark room. "The First King is dead. I am your king now."_

Ray dug into a bowl of popcorn, his brown eyes transfixed on the screen.

"_Edgar will never be free. I am protecting you, you miserable fool, from his wrath. I want you to understand that." The Mad King's eyes were glazed over, as if he were about to burst into tears. The Jester titled his head in confusion and frowned._

The bowl sat empty on the floor. Ray was now eating out of an ice-cream container, sobbing.

"_I've won the games, King Mogar~," The Mad King taunted. He cracked a trademark mad grin as he stared up at the King on the throne. There was a horrid squelching sound, and the next thing everyone saw was The Mad King's sword plunged into King Mogar's chest. The crowd was silent. Fear had overtaken every one of them._

Ray was silent as he leaned forward, his entire body shaking. This was it, his favourite part of the movie.

"_Is it good to be King?" Lady Ruby asked._

_Ryan chuckled. "Oh, it'll be _so _good."_

Ray's heart beat faster and faster in his chest. The movie was brilliant, to put it simply. It was just as brilliant as the first time he watched it. _'Holy shit.' _was what he had said when he first saw it.

He yawned and glanced at the clock. It was well past 12am. He rubbed his hair.

"Bed," he mumbled to no one in particular. He flopped back down on the couch, wearing only his boxers, and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

He arrived at the mansion the next day, wearing a new tuxedo and gloves. He knocked at the front door nervously. In his hast to get to work that day, he had forgotten some of his equipment. He had no idea what to do other than ask Ryan for assistance.

Him, asking a celebrity for assistance. A celebrity he had just been gushing over the night before. This couldn't go well.

Ryan finally answered the door shortly after Ray's knocks. "Hey," he greeted, smiling sheepishly.

Ray stared at Ryan's hair, perfectly in place, as if he hadn't slept at all. He gazed down, finally noticing Ryan's choice of clothing- or rather lack of. All he wore was a pair of jeans, which was obviously pulled on at the last moment. A flush of red rose to Ray's cheeks. He had probably woken up Ryan. God, that was embarrassing.

"Hey," Ryan repeated. Ray blinked.

"S-sorry. Hey," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Listen, sorry I woke you up-"

"You woke me up?" Ryan laughed. "Nah, I was already up. I was just naked."

"O-oh, okay." Ray was glad for a moment that Ryan couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating. "Listen, I left some of my stuff back at my apartment, you don't happen to have a shed somewhere?"

Ryan shook his head. "Nah. Sorry."

"That's okay," Ray shrugged. He was surprised by how casual he was being. That was a quick change.

"You know, I have some dinner- I mean, breakfast- at the table. You hungry?"

Ray shook his head. "I'm fi-"

"Come on," Ryan urged. "There's no way I'm gonna finish it." He tapped his feet impatiently.

"Uh…. Sure. Am I allowed in?" Holy shit, stop being nervous, Ray.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Nah, you stay here and eat," he joked, pulling Ray by the hand inside. Ray's stomach back flipped.

_I'm actually holding _Ryan Haywood's _hand._

Ryan led Ray through his house, running faster than the Puerto-Rican had ever ran in his life. The older man had almost tripped a few times, but managed to stop himself every time. Eventually Ray found himself at a table, sitting in front of a plate of pancakes. He panted heavily; that was way too much exercise for him.

"Never… do that… again… you asshole." He snatched a glass of water off the table and gulped down its contents. The cool water slipped down his throat and refreshed him.

"Hey, I'm not _that _big of an asshole," Ryan protested, lifting his hands up before shoving them back into his jeans. He sat down opposite Ray.

Ray widened his eyes. "Oh god- I'm sorry! I didn't know what I was-"

"Don't worry about it," Ryan interrupted, cutting through his pancake. "As cute as you are when you're flustered, I prefer you when you swear."

_He just called me cute. _Ray felt heat rising to his cheeks. His celebrity crush complimented him. This was already looking to be a great day. "Why?"

"I dunno, you seem more casual," Ryan answered. "And you don't act like I'm some big important guy if you do. Call me selfish, but that's probably the reason why." He took a bite of pancake.

Ray stared down at the pancake in silence, slowly eating. He glanced over at Ryan, who had cut his pancake into an R. A smirk rose to Ray's lips as he did the same. Once he was done, he poked Ryan's shoulder and pointed to Ryan's plate then his own. Ryan grinned in reply, picking his own R up and placing it on top of Ray's. Ray laughed.

"We're connected," Ryan chuckled.

"The R and R connection!" Ray laughed. None of it was even that funny, but there was just something about Ryan that made him smile. He didn't think it was the fact that Ryan was a celebrity he had admired for years either.

A small beeping from his watch reminded Ray that he had a job to do. He stood up. "Thanks, man," he said.

"No problem," Ryan replied. "You want to have some breakfast tomorrow?"

"Sure."

* * *

The routine had continued for another few weeks; Ray would knock on Ryan's door in the morning, Ryan would answer looking like he had just woken up, them eating whatever Ryan had prepared for breakfast, turning their breakfast into an 'R' then, sometimes, eating off the same plate together, then Ray going off to work. Even on Ray's days off he was expected to go. He got a text message from Ryan (how the hell he got his phone number was a mystery) saying "Where are you? Breakfast is ready."

Ray had also begun to open up more to Ryan. They shared stories about the past, and joked together more. He felt safe knowing that he wouldn't get fired because of him saying a few words now.

Then there was the time that a few of Ryan's co-workers were visiting, or as he liked to call the morning: 'the day we were finally connected or some shit'. Gavin Free and Geoff Ramsey had been sitting at the table, munching on some cereal, when Ray and Ryan walked in on them. Ray swallowed.

"Everyone, this is Ray," Ryan said, gesturing at the gardener. Ray waved nervously.

"Hi!" Gavin waved back cheerfully. His accent was even more thick than on the screen.

"Hey," Geoff greeted. He turned to Ryan. "Ryan, why the fuck did you say everyone? It's just me and Gavin."

"Hey, I went to college."

Geoff rolled his eyes and went back to eating his cereal, Gavin doing the same. Ryan and Ray sat down opposite them. The three had begun talking about an _Achievement King _sequel (to which Ray was very thankful to be working with Ryan) and about an upcoming game that they had been excited for. Ray joined in on the conversation, surprised by the fact that the three celebrities he looked up to so much were gamers like him.

"So, X-Ray," Gavin began. Ray glanced up.

"Huh?"

"Do people ever call you X-Ray?" Gavin asked. Ray shook his head. "Alright then, X-Ray is your nickname now. Anyway, X-Ray, is it true that you and Ryan are taking it up the anus?"

Ray choked on food he was about to swallow. Ryan patted his back when he began to cough violently. Geoff howled with laughter.

"W-what?"

"Oh man, I wish."

Ray widened his eyes. Did Ryan Haywood just say he wanted to have sex with him? He stared at Ryan with his jaw dropped. Ryan winked back.

"Oh, so you're not?" Gavin sounded disappointed. "Ryan, you said you were."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "No, I said, 'I like Ray, and I wouldn't mind having sex with him.'. Not _once _did I say the word anus."

"You like me?" Ray asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh." Ray blinked. "Okay then."

Geoff sniggered. "Hey, buddy," he shook Gavin's shoulder, "we should go upstairs and unpack our stuff."

Gavin nodded, glancing at Ryan and Ray. His smile grew wildly.

There was an awkward pause between the two. Ray stared at Ryan, while Ryan stared at Ray.

"You like me," Ray repeated. His heart pounded in his chest.

"That I do," Ryan replied. "I didn't know how else to tell you, so I got Gavin to say that just before you came."

"I… kinda like you too," Ray confessed.

Ryan smirked. "I know that. You're not very good at hiding your blush." He poked Ray's flushed cheek as if to prove a point.

"You got me, man." Ray shrugged. "So, what do we do now? Do we kiss or something?"

"Probably. Or we make out." Ryan suggested.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Probably," Ryan laughed, leaning in closer to Ray's lips. Soon their lips were in full contact with each other. Ray closed his eyes, savouring the sweet taste of Ryan's lips. Ryan ran a hand through Ray's hair, knocking his glasses a bit. The two pulled apart, both with swollen lips.

"The R and R Connection has finally connected," Ray commented. Ryan chuckled, just as soon as Ray's watch alarm set off.

"Yep."

* * *

**It is very frustrating when there's no character for Achievement Hunter. I'm contacting FanFiction about this.**

**Anyway, reviews are nice.**


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